ExtraordinaryCareers at Selfridges

Here you can find out everything about the range of jobs and people it takes to deliver the most extraordinary customer experience.

Whether you're looking for day-to-day insights into what it's like to work here, information on our different departments and the opportunities within them, a step-by-step guide to our recruitment process or simply wondering if you've got what it takes to join us - you'll find the answers to these and many more questions here. Welcome to our world. We hope you find it as inspiring as we do.

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About us

As a world famous retailer, we've got a lot to be proud of.

Recently voted "Best Department Store in the World" at the Global Department Store Summit in New York, our London store is a national institution with the most famous shop windows on Oxford Street. And our Manchester and Birmingham stores bring their own magic to those vibrant cities.

One thing is certain. Across every single department, from food to fashion, home to beauty, we set the standard for up-to-the-minute style, lasting quality and exceptional customer service.

Our teams live and breathe their products, from luxury fragrances and fashion to ultra-modern furniture. Each in their different ways, all our team members combine expert knowledge, insight and enthusiasm to create the special experience our customers expect and which keeps them coming back for more.

Throughout this site, you can find out what it means to work for one of the most famous retailing names in the world. The challenges, the long-term prospects and the sheer pleasure that comes from providing excellent customer service. It's all part of a 100-year tradition we're proud to maintain.

1909

On 4th March, wealthy American retailer Gordon Selfridge opens his own £400,000 London store and the magnificent neoclassical Selfridges building transforms the face of Oxford Street.

1920s

The years following the First World War prove very successful and, by 1928, the store has doubled in size.

1940s

The Second World War years prove a very lean time for the store and, in 1947, Gordon Selfridge dies in his sleep.

1950s

At the beginning of the decade, Gordon Selfridge's old rival Lord Woolton, chairman of Lewis', buys the store for £3.4m.

1960s

In 1965, Miss Selfridge opens up to sell fashion designs by Pierre Cardin, among others, to young women.

1990s

In 1994, a five-year masterplan to totally transform Selfridges is launched. In 1998, Selfridges de-merges from the Sears group and a brand new Selfridges store opens in Trafford Park in Manchester.

2000 to date

In 2003, Selfridges is purchased by W. Galen Weston, English-born Chairman and President of George Weston Limited, a Canadian family business that processes and distributes food products throughout North America. Both he and his wife Hilary are intimately involved with the development and growth of this important company and have played a key role in creating the Selfridges you see today.

What we do

In a world where stores and shopping malls increasingly seem to resemble each other, Selfridges is unmistakably unique.

Unique because we believe that, at its best, the experience of shopping should be extraordinary, captivating and inspiring.

Shopping at its best is what we do best, from our famous head-turning window displays to the sheer range and quality of products in-store. Where else could you find the latest in computer technology, luxurious homewares, must-have designer fashion and a feast of mouth-watering food and drink, all under one roof?

That also means that there's no such thing as a typical Selfridges person. From the Beauty counters to the Food Hall, the people that work with us - and the things that inspire them - are as diverse as the product ranges we sell.

Selfridges' people are of all backgrounds, cultures and ages. What unites them is their passion for their products, and their willingness to put that little bit extra into ensuring our customers enjoy the best possible service.

Every day, they make us what we are. Could you?

Did you know?

Selfridges opened the world's first ground floor beauty department in 1910. Today, it has the biggest Beauty Hall in the world and sells 7,700 lipsticks, 2,800 mascaras and 1,000 nail polishes every week.

On July 25 1909, French aviator Louis Bleriot flew across the English Channel from Calais to Dover, earning his place in history as the first person to successfully fly over water. His fragile monoplane was placed on show at Selfridges, where over 150,000 visitors queued to see it.

Amongst the most famous of the parties held in the early years of Selfridges were those given on the night of the General Election. Running from 1922 to 1935 they were glittering affairs, ending with a bacon and egg breakfast in the small hours of the morning, and attended by the great and the good, the fun and the fashionable.

Paddington Bear started his journey to fame in 1956 when Michael Bond bought a small toy bear from Selfridges on Christmas Eve as a gift for his wife. Mr and Mrs Bond called him Paddington after the area where they lived and, two years later, the first story about his adventures was published.

When The Wonder Room was launched in September 2007, who else could there have been to perform at the opening party than Stevie Wonder himself.

In 2000, the world's largest - and longest - photograph, artist Sam Taylor Wood's panoramic work entitled 'XV' seconds, and featuring 21 images of modern-day icons such as Elton John, Alex James and Jodie Kidd, was displayed outside Selfridges to mask the scaffolding in place for restoration.

When planning the site for his store, a top priority for Gordon Selfridge was good transport close by. For years, Selfridge lobbied his great friend Lord Ashfield, the Managing Director of the Underground Electric Railway Company, to allow Bond Street Tube Station to be re-named 'Selfridges'. Often discussed - and sometimes hotly debated - it was refused.

In 2007, Hermes created two exclusive Birkin bags in the Selfridges yellow - Pantone 109. More than 1,000 people tried to buy them!

In 1932, Selfridges installed a Seismograph in an area next to the in-store post office and kept a map to show just how often earthquakes occurred.

In 1925, Selfridges invited Scottish inventor John Logie Baird to demonstrate his new invention of television to the public. Baird, who was short of money, happily accepted a fee of £75 for a three week booking to show the function of his new machine - a 'Televisor' - to a bemused audience. Gordon Selfridge said at the time: 'This is not a toy - it is a link between all peoples of the world'.

By 1966, 'Swinging London' was in the midst of its own youth revolution. Girls wanted short skirts and long false eyelashes - and Selfridges obliged by opening their own in-store boutique, 'Miss Selfridge'.